Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
With humor and heart, Pie in the Sky explores the experience of a young Asian immigrant with much more than assimilation on his mind.
All posts filed under: Realistic Fiction
Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen
Wren Clemmons learns much about herself, the desert, and true friendship in wilderness therapy camp in this teen read about drug use.
Swing and Solo by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess
Swing and Solo: two novels-in-verse for teens that grapple with music (jazz and rock and roll), baseball, young love, and what’s really important in life.
Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalypse by Susan Vaught
An autistic girl and socially-awkward boy team up to solve a crime and absolve an innocent man.
Last of the Name by Roseanne Parry
The New York City draft riots of 1863 form a dramatic background to this engaging tale of two young Irish immigrants.
Quiet Family Dramas: Four Recent Middle-grade novels
A roundup of recent middle-grade novels about family formation and dissolution. Stories, like people, begin at home, and no matter how fanciful or adventurous middle-grade …
Caterpillar Summer by Gullian McDunn
Biracial siblings connect with their estranged grandparents in Caterpillar Summer.
Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord
Home-schooled Emma learns a lot about classrooms and friendship “Because of the Rabbit.”